IT HAD BEEN a long time since Ravenna had properly seen her reflection. The mirror in front of her stretched toward the ceiling, framed with carved diamond-marble. Intricate sculptures comprised the top of the mirror, the stone creatures looming over Ravenna's head like powerful guardians.

Her expression was cheerful, albeit a tad forced. Alyss, her newfound personal servant, stood behind her. Her pale hands worked furiously at Ravenna's damp hair. She twisted small tendrils back, pinning the dark strands into an elegant up-do. Her expression was stoic, and extremely focused.

Ravenna lifted her hand, her fingers gently touching a loose strand of her hair. She had almost forgotten how dark it had become under Vyses's spell. Her smile became more forced. She missed her ice blonde hair. Her eyes were the same icy blue that she'd awoken with, however.

Through the mirror, she could see the reflection of the rest of her new room as well. The entire room had been constructed of the same diamond-marble that encompassed the rest of the Capitol. Each stone seemed connected, so smoothly that the entire floor appeared to be a single slab. Even the walls appeared the same, with no grout between the tiles. One wall in particular had been decorated with a beautifully ornate relief sculpture, carved directly into the wall itself. From the bed, Ravenna learned that she could see the sculpture as a whole, and all of the small shadows that it cast.

The bed itself was impressive as well. Four diamond-marble posts stood at each corner of a perfectly square mattress —a mattress filled with something so soft and comfortable, it made her never want to leave. It wasn't straw, and that is all she knew for certain. The sheets that covered it were colored a soft golden color, the color of twilight sunshine. It was very warm and very inviting.

As was the white-padded chair that she currently sat in. Robes made of white silk covered her body, clinging to every curve and crevice. She'd been given a bath —a not-so-fun bath where Alyss had scrubbed every inch of her body with a rough cloth. It had taken every ounce of restraint for Ravenna to keep from harming Alyss during that bath.

"Is there a color that you are partial to, my lady?" Alyss asked her quietly.

Ravenna's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Alyss stepped back, removing her hands from Ravenna's hair. "For your dress, my lady," she answered. She walked across the room, toward a small white door. She opened it and snapped her fingers.

A bright witch-light illuminated the small room, revealing rows of beautiful dresses. Ravenna stood and slowly made her way into the room. There were dresses of all colors. Bright blues that rivaled the sky, and vibrant greens that mirrored the earth. Feisty reds, oranges, and yellows glimmered like flames.

"Oh my," Ravenna whispered.

She reached out, touching a dress colored a beautiful shade of lavender. It almost exactly matched the flower.

"Is that the dress you would like to wear?" Alyss asked.

Ravenna nodded. "If it is alright," she said. She glanced at Alyss from over her shoulder. "I do not want to be a burden."

Alyss smiled at her. "Of course not, my lady."

She ushered Ravenna back to her seat in front of the mirror. Once Ravenna was comfortable, Alyss disappeared back in to the dress room. She reappeared moments later, the lavender dress in hand. It had a low, square collar and elbow-length sleeves. She lowered it onto the bed, along with several other strange garments.

"What are those?" Ravenna asked her. Nerves had begun to nip at her stomach. Alyss had already seen her naked, so she knew it was from the weird items in her hands.

Alyss turned to her. "Please remove your robes," she politely ordered.

Ravenna stood, hesitant, and allowed the silk robe to fall to the floor. It bunched around her ankles. Alyss approached her with one of the strange garments. As she held it out, Ravenna was able to discern that it was a pair of trousers, decorated in lace and ribbons.

She scowled as Alyss began to layer the garments onto her body. Already, with just a few layers, she could feel restricted movements.

It was when Alyss approached with a very strange piece —a thick looking contraption that Alyss explained would tighten her stomach —that Ravenna revolted.

"Absolutely not," she said. She moved her arms, hoping to emphasize her restricted movement. "I need to be able to breathe."

Alyss seemed ready to argue, but relented. "All of the women wear it nowadays. It is very fashionable," she said, lowering the item onto the bed. "It makes you appear very small and skinny. Very attractive."

"I don't need it," Ravenna assured her.

Alyss bit her tongue. She helped Ravenna into the lavender dress and then laced a light red ribbon through the back of it. When she was finished, she stepped back.

"You are ready," she announced.

Ravenna returned to the mirror and examined herself. With her hair pulled back, revealing her neck, she could see some small scars etched into her skin. The hem of the dress just barely scraped against the floor. She turned around, examining the dress from all sides. Then she huffed. Just the slightest of movements caused her to immediately feel overheated.

"What is wrong, my lady?" Alyss panicked.

Ravenna shook her head. "Everything is fine," she assured her.

A quiet knock sounded against the door.

Alyss rushed to the door. She opened it and then bowed, taking a small step back. Eoin stepped into the room.

He froze when he spotted Ravenna.

hello sweet friends! 

As you may notice, I am adding in the new header graphics today and changing the titles for each chapter! I may need to make the numbers a tad smaller. I am going to wait and see what they look like as a whole before I make changes. Mainly because I feel like I JUST caught up with it lol. I decided to try the PNG (with no background). I still see the box, but many of you didn't. Let me know if you don't like it and I can change it to the white!

Really, if the numbers are too big, or if you don't like something about the new graphics, please let me know!! My goal is to have graphics that look appealing to y'all and that you like! ❤

I am still working on the worded graphics (like prologue, note, and disclaimer). For now, those will be a little mismatched until I can get my tablet. I'm sorry!!!

Anywho, I hope that everyone is having a super fantastic weekend so far!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to continue to read this book. I love seeing all your feedback and it makes me so happy to know that y'all are enjoying it so far!! I really appreciate you all so much!! ❤

ash ❤

p.s. Chapter 112. A Whirlwind Proposal went live today on Patreon! ❤